FARMINGTON– Can any connection exist between a wild animal farm, a woman who lives in a cardboard box, odd conversations overheard in Portland, fifteen minutes of fame in a New York theater, a pioneer woman settler at Rangeley Lake, and wisdom about our daily gifts? Yes, indeed! These intriguing topics will come together in a vivid mosaic of stories at the annual Storytelling Showcase at the 2012 Western Maine Storytelling Festival in Farmington on July 21.

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Some of the finest professional storytellers in northern New England will gather to share their tales. Humor will alternate with adventure and poignant memories. Lauretta Phillips will introduce her comic character My Gal Sal, who in this episode, having achieved her driver’s license, is saved from getting lost on the road by her new GPA (Geriatric Positioning Apparatus). Audrey Mason remembers some chaotic moments in her childhood in “Anything Can Happen When You Live Near a Wild Animal Farm.” In “Be Ye Content with Such As Ye Have,” Cora Jo Ciampi dresses in modern clothing an old folktale about greed.

Drawing on memories of a difficult time in her life, Phyllis Blackstone tells a story of “Three Gifts” that are easy to give and welcome when given. Mike Harris tells a rollicking personal story of an exploit in a Broadway theater. Debb Freedman’s “Moments,” on the other hand, derive from keen listening to others; each vignette is a small, sparkling window into the lives of people in Portland. Finally, Jude Lamb presents a historical adventure, speaking in the character of Mrs. Eunice Lakeman Hoar, who, with her husband and nine children, traveled over snowy hills to become the first settlers on Rangeley Lake in 1817.

The Storytelling Showcase will take place on Saturday, July 21, from 1:30-3:00 pm, in the Emery Community Arts Center at the University of Maine at Farmington. The program is free and open to the public. For more information, see http://wmsfestival.org or call 207-778-4387.